


In the Black

by Aylwyyn228



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Gay Bucky Barnes, Gay Steve Rogers, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sleepwalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 15:22:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14083857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aylwyyn228/pseuds/Aylwyyn228
Summary: He stopped short with a snort as Bucky appeared in the doorway. He had a single shoe on, his work pants and an undershirt, along with a vaguely glazed look on his face.One that Steve recognised very, very well.He laughed. “You awake, Buck?”





	In the Black

When Steve pushed the door open, he instantly knew that Bucky must be back. His shoes were by the door, his coat slung over one of the kitchen chairs. 

It'd been a stressful week, he knew. There'd been several night time shipments. Not unusual, but he knew Bucky's boss had been pressuring him to take the extra shifts.

Steve had barely seen him in three days. 

"Buck?"

No response. 

Steve dropped his bag on the table and wandered through into their bedroom. He stopped in the doorway and smiled. 

Bucky slept like his Auntie Kit's cat, sprawled on his front, half overhanging the bed. Steve'd never met anyone who could fall asleep like Bucky could. At the least opportunity, in whatever position.

Then Steve's eyes fell to Bucky’s hand just brushing against the floorboards, Lucky, long since burnt out, clutched loosely in his fingers.

"Jesus Christ, Buck."

He stomped his way across the room and snatched it out of his grasp.

"If you burn this goddamn block down, I'm gonna have your ma after me." Steve checked it was cool and then tossed it in the trash. He glanced back over at Bucky's still prone form. "And you're gonna have my ma after you!” He sighed. “I'm wastin my breath."

Weren't as if they hadn't had this conversation before. Bucky just shrugging and giving that grin he always did.

Like butter wouldn’t melt.

What a joke.

As it was, Bucky just shifted his arm back up onto the bed and shuffled himself further into the sheets. Making that snuffling noise that Steve really shouldn’t find so sweet.

But his good humour was almost instantly wiped away by worry.

 It was barely six in the evening. Buck’d been gone before Steve’d woken that morning. That job was godawful since McGregor took over as foreman. 

But he knew what Bucky was saying. There were plenty of guys just waiting to take his place. If he cried off a shift, he'd never get taken on again, and Steve's work was too intermittent for them to keep the tenement.

But he hated to see Bucky worked so hard.

Bucky oughta have been out building planes or cars or something. He still remembered Bucky building his sisters a bicycle with parts he bought off the boys at school with cigarette cards. How he’d managed to see somethin in the bits of mangled metal. See how they all oughta work.

Steve couldn’t help but feel that he was the only reason Bucky hadn’t found his ticket out of here.

Maybe he was fated to be the chain around somebody’s ankle.

He wandered back into the kitchen and started to unpack his bag. He'd managed to pick some chicken up from the butcher on Madison Street. He was gonna make a stew. The kind that'd make his ma proud. It'd do them three days if they were careful. 

He set to work chopping up some potatoes and parsnips, and watching out of the cigarette stained window. There were a group of boys playing out in the street, throwing a ball between them.

He heard a thud from the other room.

“Y’alright, Buck?”

No answer. He sighed, tossed his knife into the sink, and turned to go and see what havoc was being wreaked in the bedroom.

He stopped short with a snort as Bucky appeared in the doorway. He had a single shoe on, his work pants and an undershirt, along with a vaguely glazed look on his face.

One that Steve recognised very, very well.

He laughed. “You awake, Buck?”

Nope.

Bucky took a couple of unsteady steps into the room, hovering by the table like he might be about to sit.

“Bucky? You wanna go back to bed?”

Sometimes that worked, Bucky would just stagger back the way he’d come and drop like a ragdoll back on the bed. Not today though.

Bucky stayed swaying where he was, scooping up his coat. Then he went for the door, pulling his coat straight over his undershirt.

“Whoa, pal. No.” Steve stepped in front of him. “Wake up, darlin. Buck!”

For the briefest of seconds, he thought he’d managed to wake him, but then he just tried to push past.

“What’ll the neighbours say? You keep goin out in your underwear? Bucky?” Steve tried to grab him by the arm, but that was like trying to block a freight train. Bucky got a hand on the door. Steve caught it with his foot. “Oh, no. You are not goin outside. I’m not scraping you up from the bottom of the steps. Not again.”

Bucky was frowning.

Steve took his opportunity to push the door closed with his toe. He got a hand on each of Bucky’s arms.

“What’s up, pal? Where you goin?”

Bucky stopped, almost met his eyes. “The weddin.”

“What wedding? Whose?”

“Mine.” Bucky said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, like he was tacking on the eyeroll in his head.

Steve was having to try really hard not to laugh. “First I’ve heard about it, pal. Who’re you marryin?”

“Him. With the face.”

Steve couldn’t stop himself this time. “That’s real descriptive, buddy.”

“Th’ General?”

“The General?” It took him a beat. “Buster… Buster Keaton.”

He snorted.

Bucky was still trying to pull the door open.

Steve caught his wrist. “You got the wrong day, Buck. It’s not today.”

Bucky stopped like he was considering it. “I go’the wrong day?”

“Mmhmm.” Steve tugged at him until he turned around. “So how’s about you go back to bed, alright?”

It took a couple of prods but eventually Bucky staggered back over to their bedroom. Steve heard the creak of bedsprings and figured it was pretty safe to carry on with making their meal.

He kept an ear out though, for Bucky moving around again.

On bad nights, he’d known Bucky get up five or six times, usually managing to elbow him in the face in the process.

Those nights it was the devil’s own job to keep him from breaking his neck on the stairs.

Today though, maybe he was just too exhausted.

Just about the time he’d finished preparing everything though, he just heard the sudden creak of springs. Bucky’s sigh. “Shit. What’d I do?”

Steve smiled, wiped his hands on his pants, and wandered back over to the doorway. Just to watch Bucky struggling out of his good clothes, all uncoordinated and shaky. “Should I be worried?”

“Bout what?”

Bucky was distracted, still caught half in sleep, tugging his pants down to his ankle several times before he realised he’d have to take his shoe off first.

“Didn’t know I had a rival.”

“What?”

Bucky finally managed to shuck all of his clothes save his underwear and looked up a Steve with a frown. He was beautifully sleep ruffled. Everything about him looked soft and warm.

And suddenly Steve was worried whether this stew was ever gonna get cooked tonight.

“Your husband. Oh, sorry, your fiancé.”

“My..?”

Bucky’s mouth dropped open in a perfect ‘o’ of confusion, and Steve couldn’t resist the temptation to close the gap between them. To press against his skin.

He loved Bucky when he was half asleep.

Hell, he loved Bucky every damn minute of every day.

He dropped onto the bed and curled himself around him, chin tucked onto his shoulder. “Mmhmm. I’d say you were very much in love.”

Bucky was still frowning, but he leaned into him. “Who..? What did I..?”

Steve kissed up the back of his neck. “Dizzy with it, I’d say.”

“Steve, who?”

Steve almost couldn’t stop the laugh. “Buster Keaton, of course.”

“Buster…” He could practically hear Bucky’s mind ticking. “You’re razzin me.”

“He’s a swell fella, Buck.” Bucky swatted back at him with his hand and Steve just ducked. “Reckon you’ll be very happy.”

He couldn’t hold it together anymore, and burst into laughter, clinging onto Bucky’s back and shaking with it.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Makin fun of a guy with an affliction.”

Steve snorted obnoxiously, and practically collapsed onto the bed.

“I’m sorry.” He patted at Bucky’s back when he’d got himself together a bit, pulled him at him until he was laying back, and Steve could straddle him. “I am.”

Bucky curled their fingers together. “I wasn’t rough with ya?”

Bucky was always worried about that. Steve didn’t know why. If he weren’t scared of Bucky when he was wide awake and spittin blood about something, he didn’t see why he should be when he was sleepy and spoutin dumb shit.

If Bucky’s dreams were dark, he’d never seen it.

He leaned down, and kissed his cheek, gave his best shy girl act. “You were a perfect gentleman.”

Bucky huffed. “More’n I can say for you.” He canted his hips up and nearly dislodged him. “Ain’t even bought me dinner.”

“I got a half made stew in there. That’ll do.”

Bucky laughed. “I’m that fast?”

“Mmmm.” Steve made like he was sizing him up, tapping his chin. “Reckon you’re a sure thing. Take any fella home, s’long as he has his own teeth.”

“Oughta charge double for that kinda talk.”

“Buster’d treat ya sweeter?”

“Damn straight, he would. He’d romance me a little. Be all sweet and shy.”

Steve smiled, let his hand slip down. “He wouldn’t do that thing ya like though.”

Bucky gave a look of wide eyed innocence, one that didn’t sit well on his face at all. “Well, golly. Let’s call the callin off off then.”

Steve laughed and kissed him again. “You’d better put it on my tab.”

Bucky grinned. “Oh you’re paid up, darlin. Now and forever.”

Steve felt something twist inside his heart.

Because he knew.

Bucky had cashed in his chips a long time ago.

He just hoped he was worth the price.

**Author's Note:**

> I just needed something little bit sweet. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
